When you least expect it...

I flew a plane.

Not on PlayStation - a real one from WWII. With my head out in the open sky and my hands on the stick, the ground 1000 feet below and the real pilot's voice in my ears about how George Bush Sr had flown in that plane and how it was one of only four of its kind and two were in museums.

I restrained myself from trying any kind of crazy barrel roll in a lovely yellow fabric plane. Barely.

The bright sunshine beat down on us and there may have been a comparison between me and the friend who flew before me. She seemed timid and needed to be talked into it. But I'm not shy.

And when someone asks if I want to try the controls - I suppose you'd just better be prepared for me to take you up on it.

It's a little funny because I'm not sure that was even an item on my bucket list. But now I've done it, and it was awesome.

And of course there's a little voice whispering inside that I ought to figure out exactly how to work that into a story somewhere. Because that's always what's happening inside somewhere.

I'm similarly inspired by the friend who helped me into the plane. I love the no-nonsense approach to safety, and how everything is matter-of-fact when it comes down to execution. I love it because she's short and sweet and directly to the point, and that she cut through any long droning speeches that tend to get lost when the brain cuts out. At least my brain.

I know I'm not the only person for whom boredom spells trouble. I promise to ask questions if it didn't sink in the first time.

New Story

Available this week: How to Photocopy Your Ass

There's even a review today. I'm ecstatic!

If you're curious how I'm going to follow this up, well, I'd love to make this a series. Next title idea: How to be a Sex Kitten (working title and may not be final). I may have even sketched out a character and plot this morning.

I do hope I can find some cute cover art like this one. It's way too much fun.

A Lack of Progress

When was the last time someone said no to something you asked for?

It makes an interesting contrast for characters. I responded with something that I hadn't expected. Outrage is an emotion that could carry me to do a lot of things.

Most of the time I write it out. I allow some poor character to try to do all the great things that I'd like to do, like burning bridges and cursing storms. Ever find yourself to be too polite to say the things in your mind?

No is often a barrier to make a character reach harder. Failure is the only option to make them grow. Sometimes, though, I wish people didn't have so much to learn.

So if you're wondering - I felt like I was stuck in the 1950s this week. And I'm breaking out of that mold. I'm now twisting some poor character into that spot to break her out in all the ways I can think of that I couldn't actually do in person. Should be an interesting evening for me.

As for you - next time you hear the word no, what do you do? Is your first reaction the only response? Or is there more to it?

Turning Life Upside Down

Ever wonder what it takes to drive someone to those depths? What it is that will make someone reach past all the barriers of what's comfortable and normal for what might be better?

In general, it isn't an easy decision, or a quick one.

Is it from that moment when he hit you and you blacked out a moment, and you wondered if the next blow would be the last?

Is it another time, when you realized you just weren't able to be yourself (around her) at home?

When we talk about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we don't think about little day-to-day changes. We often talk about greater ideals, like whether we can carry firearms or the right to choose. But it is no less important to think about the daily grind: your job, your partner and family, and your friends.

Take another look. Most of these can be changed. Your horrible monster-in-law might have to be endured during holidays, but she might cause enough trouble that she's not worth it. That husband might have been something else, but a person is not defined by one choice. It's a combination of many little things that form a puzzle. That dead-end job that saps your energy and your time needs to be replaced.

Of course, I write this at a time when I consider going back to a career I once hated. Times change, and occasionally one must go to the dark side in order to find the light.

What's your temptation? Is the dark side worth pursuing in order to get past the current rut? Why do we only view the black and the white, the dark and the light, and never the infamous shades of gray that life truly is?

Deep thoughts for the new year. May your own road be well-lit.

Resolution

Has it become that time again? That horrid six-week push to become a new person with a new life?

I'm still not sure why we put ourselves through this every year. Even the staunch refusal to set goals says something about not seeing a need to improve.

Perhaps instead we ought to set regular intervals for improvement. Small steps to lead to a larger change. Do you ever wonder what would happen if a resolution started small in January and built up to something larger as the year went on?

Not much time left to consider it. If change is so hard, then increments to create momentum might be better than to attempt to turn everything upside down at once.

Then again, patience is a virtue hard to come by. Little changes are very difficult to check progress. And we all like to feel that we'll accomplish something.

Making Changes

Humans tend to be territorial creatures, and I find myself resisting change though I consider myself flexible and adaptable. I can't imagine what it's like for those who are neither.

shetastorm.com

New website is functioning.

Painted Face | Amazon | Kobo | Nook

The Gamers | Amazon | Kobo | Nook
Last month I published two titles. I'm working on the next two, and we'll see what goes from there.

Also managed to start an email list, so if you'd like updates, please sign up here.

The new year promises to be interesting.

New Bio

Well, the picture is new. I'm still working on the part that follows.

And there's more stuff coming. Don't be shy - check back for more details.